In the Retreat, we had a very constructive discussion on issues such as food and energy security, UN reforms, climate change and trade. We found several commonalities in the challenges that face us and in our aspirations. I offered Indian assistance in ushering in a Green Revolution in Africa through holistic capacity building in agricultural production, storage and transportation.

While we have met over these two days at the government level we have also undertaken several outreach events before or concurrent with the Summit.
These are:

• The first ever India-Africa Editors Conference
• Joint performances by Indian and African cultural troupes
• A seminar of intellectuals from Africa and India on India-Africa Partnership in the 21st century
  

• A programme for youth and women from Africa
• A business conclave. India has also begun to develop cooperation with the Regional Economic Communities of Africa and with the African Union (AU). India’s pan-African e-network project is an example of our cooperation at the continent wide level.

We have laid firm foundations on which to build the new framework of cooperation. It is now time to plan ahead to implement the joint programmes of cooperation and to build a meaningful and productive Indo-African partnership. India looks forward to doing so with all the resources at our disposal.

We greatly cherish the friendship and empathy that Africa has always shown to India. This is an asset to our foreign policy. We in turn hope that this Summit has enabled us to convey to the people of Africa India’s readiness to be a partner in their quest for stability, peace and prosperity.

I would like to conclude by thanking my colleagues from Africa for their active participation in the Summit and for their whole-hearted endorsement for a stronger and deeper India-Africa partnership.”

The emergence of a mutually-beneficial trade pattern in Australia’s relationship with East Asia over the years is now being replicated between Australia and India, as well. And, together both the countries could bolster Asian integration in a more meaningful and mutually advantageous manner.

Prof Peter Drysdale of the Crawford School of Economics and Government at the Australian National University (ANU), an authority on the East-Asian and Pacific economies, contends that such a trade relationship remains strategically crucial to East Asia.

Australia now supplies around half of Northeast Asia’s key imported industrial raw materials and more than 22 per cent of Japan’s energy supplies (not including uranium). Stating that bilateral trade and economic relationship is growing rapidly, Prof Drysdale said that Australia’s commodity exports to India rose by 37 per cent. India is already Australia’s second largest market for metallurgical coal and is a huge potential market for energy, including uranium.

Australia is also the second largest destination for Indian students, after the US, with 60,000 students studying in Australia each year. He added, “We want to upgrade participation as the partnership between India and Australia benefits from training in both sides”. Prof. Drysdale said, “It is not only opportunity for delivering commodities but also opportunities for services including tourism. With growing number of Indian visitors, migration is a new and a major component.”

Prof Drysdale said the emergence of the Indian economy and the opportunity for integration of the South and East Asian economies, including Australia, is important. “East Asia needs a coalition to deal with the problems not only with itself but with the rest of the world. For Asia, the proximity to the region and the complementarity of their economic and trade structures would intensify intra-regional trade and investment ties as Asia experiences deeper integration with global markets”.

Source : www.blonnet.com

Australia said it will push for India to become a permanent member of the United nations Security Council which should be expanded to reflect the "modern world".

"We think the permanent membership should be changed to reflect the modern reality, having on the permanent membership Japan, for example, and India, for example," Foreign Minister Stephen Smith says told ABC TV. "That much more reflects the modern world than the current institution," he said.

The Minister said the UN should no longer reflect the situation of the 1940s and 50s, and Australia, which is seeking a temporary seat in the powerful body, wanted it to tackle issues like climate change, millennium development goals and international trade.  Smith said Australia will push for India and Japan to become permanent members, the AAP reported.

Smith said Kevin Rudd government's quest for non-permanent membership of the council came from a desire to modernise the UN and play a bigger role in world affairs. The United States, Britain, France, Russia and China have been the Security Council's permanent members since its formation after World War II.

Smith said Australia should be making a greater contribution at an international level. "I don't think we punch above our weight. I think we can do and have to do more. We are a significant country. We are a robust parliamentary democracy, (a) well-developed prosperous economy."

The Foreign Minister said it was worth spending tens of millions of dollars seeking a council seat, adding that the government would not compromise itself in the process.